Soft front cockpit cover

ABSTRACT

A foldable roof assembly having a soft panel top assembly for a vehicle in sealing engagement with a hard top portion of a roof. The soft panel top assembly has a fixed portion attached to the vehicle and a lightweight pivotal portion that folds back to provide the occupant a quick and easy open air effect. Two door rails of the soft panel top assembly are connected to the vehicle. Two side bows are attached to a first bow member, which is secured to a windshield frame when in a closed position, and are connected at a pivot point created with a bracket attached to the door rails to allow the pivotal portion to pivot to an open position. The soft panel top assembly includes a rear header that is a wireframe and engages with seals in the hard top roof portion to provide a weatherproof seal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/786,721, filed Feb. 10, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/554,806, filed Aug. 29, 2019, issued as U.S.Pat. No. 10,596,886, which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/981,542, filed May 16, 2018, issued as U.S. Pat. No.10,434,853, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/344,140, filed Nov. 4, 2016, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,046,630 onAug. 14, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 14/808,011, filed Jul. 24, 2015, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,517,684on Sep. 22, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/243,359, filed Apr. 2, 2014, issued as U.S. Pat. No.9,139,073 on Sep. 22, 2015, which claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/807,506, filed Apr. 2, 2013. The disclosures of theabove applications are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a foldable roof assembly having a softpanel top cover that seals against a hard top portion of the roof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Foldable stowable roof soft tops are commonly used in sport-utilityvehicles for recreational purposes. The foldable roof is typically movedbetween a stowed position, and a deployed position. When in the deployedposition, the foldable roof protects the occupants of the vehicle fromvarious weather conditions. The foldable roof also includes varioussections which are made of a clear material to essentially function as awindow, allowing the occupant of the vehicle to see outside of thevehicle. However, there are occasions where the weather is pleasant, andit is desired by the occupants of the vehicle to move the foldable roofto an open position such that the vehicle essentially functions withoutpart of a roof or essentially functions without a roof, and thepassenger compartment of the vehicle is exposed to the atmosphere. Thisallows the occupants of the vehicle to enjoy more favorable weatherconditions while driving.

An alternative to the convertible soft top is to use a hard top that isbulky and does not provide any open air feel without removing the entiretop. If the entire hard top is removed, it then must be stored, which isoften difficult because of the size of the top. Other convertible roofsuse a hard top that is large and bulky and does not provide any open airfeel without removing two front top panels, which is also laborious,difficult, time consuming, and ergonomically disadvantageous. If one ormore of the front top panels are removed, they then must be stored,which is often difficult because of the size of the panels. While thiswill give the occupant an open air feel, the panels are large and bulky.If the occupant wants to gain the open air feel they need to exit thevehicle and remove the panels using multiple knobs and latches and thenstore the panels. This makes for a time consuming operation as well as apotential storage issue due to the size of the panels. They are alsohard to handle due to their size and weight and due to the fact theymust be installed and removed over the operators head. In the event ofinclement weather, the panels cannot be quickly put back in place.

Accordingly, there exists a need for a more manageable and easilyfoldable top made of soft material to provide a top that can be openedquickly to provide what is often referred to as an open air feel, wherea portion of the top of the roof is moved from a closed or deployedposition to an open or stowed position exposing a portion of the insidevehicle cockpit/passenger compartment to the outside without removingthe top.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a foldable roof assembly having asoft panel top assembly that is in sealing engagement with a hard topportion of the roof. The soft panel top assembly has a pivotal portionthat is lightweight and folds back without the operator needing to leavethe vehicle to give the occupant a quick and easy sunroof/open airfeeling in the front cockpit. This is done more easily than with typicaltwo-panel hard top systems that are more time consuming to disengagefrom the vehicle and are bulky to handle and remove. The presentinvention also eliminates storage issues since the soft panel top foldsback rather than having to be removed entirely and stored as withconventional hard top panels.

The soft panel top assembly has two door rails connected to side sportbars of the vehicle providing a sealing surface for the doors of thevehicle as well as pivot points for the pivotal portion of the softpanel top assembly. The soft panel top assembly has two side bowsconnected to a first bow member that is secured to a windshield framewith quick release latches. The side bows are connected at a second endto a fixed bracket connected to the side rails creating the pivot pointswith the use of the brackets. The soft panel top assembly includes arear header that is a rear wireframe closeout for sealing engagementwith seals of the hard top roof portion. The soft panel top assembly ismade lightweight by using the wireframe rear header and by using minimalframe and mostly soft goods. This further helps with ease ofinstallation and ease of cycle efforts of the pivotal portion.

Further areas of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It shouldbe understood that the detailed description and specific examples, whileindicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended forpurposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope ofthe invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front left perspective view of a foldable roof assemblyhaving a soft panel top cover assembly in a deployed position connectedto the vehicle and in sealing engagement with a hard top portion, inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear left perspective view of the foldable roof assemblyhaving the soft panel top cover assembly in the deployed position, inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a rear right perspective view of the soft panel top coverassembly in the deployed position, without the soft cover depicted forclarity, in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a front left perspective view of the soft panel top coverassembly in an open position, without the soft cover depicted forclarity, in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the soft panel top cover assembly in anopen position, without the soft cover depicted for clarity, inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a right side elevation view of the soft panel top coverassembly in a closed position, without the soft cover depicted forclarity, in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a right side elevation view of the soft panel top coverassembly in an open position, without the soft cover depicted forclarity, in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a right side elevation view of the soft panel top coverassembly in a partially open position, without the soft cover depictedfor clarity, in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a side elevation view from the interior side of the soft paneltop cover assembly of FIG. 6 in the closed position, without the softcover and sport bar depicted for clarity, in accordance with the presentinvention;

and

FIG. 10 is a side elevation view from the interior side of the softpanel top cover assembly of FIG. 9 in the closed position, without thesoft cover depicted for clarity, in accordance with the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merelyexemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention,its application, or uses.

Referring generally to FIGS. 1-10, there is provided a foldable roofassembly, generally shown at 10, having a soft panel top assembly,generally shown at 12, sealable with a hard top roof portion, generallyshown at 14. The soft panel top assembly 12 is connected to a vehicle16. The vehicle 16 includes a windshield frame 18 with side members 20extending therefrom and a crossmember 22 connecting the side members 20substantially adjacent the rear of the driver/passenger compartment.

The soft panel top assembly 12 folds back to give the occupant a quickand easy open air effect, e.g., lightweight and easily operated at ashort interval stop, without completely removing the soft panel topassembly 12 from the vehicle 16. Folding the soft panel top assembly 12between a closed position and an open position is also achievablewithout the occupant needing to leave the vehicle and eliminates removaland storage of roof panels from the vehicle. Once cycled to the openposition, the soft panel top assembly 12 also does not require strappingthe assembly down to maintain open air positioning.

The soft panel top assembly 12 has a pivotal portion, shown generally at24, for pivoting the soft panel top assembly 12 between the deployed orclosed position and open position. When the soft panel top assembly 12is cycled between the closed/open position, the soft panel top assembly12 is in sealing engagement with the hard top roof portion 14 at asealing portion, generally shown at 26. When the soft panel top assembly12 is in the closed position, the soft panel top assembly 12 seals withthe vehicle windshield frame 18, doors and/or the side members 20, andthe hard top roof portion 14 at sealing portion 26.

The soft panel top assembly 12 has two door rails 28 connected to sidesport bars of the vehicle 16. The door rails 28 provide a sealingsurface for the driver/passenger doors of the vehicle 16 as well aspivot points for the pivotal portion 24 of the soft panel top assembly12. Each door rail 28 has two pairs of clamping surfaces 30, each withan upper surface extending inwardly over the top of the sport bar and abottom surface extending under the bottom of the sport bar for attachingto the vehicle 16 using at least two mushroom knob fasteners 32extending through each pair of the clamping surfaces and sport bar. Eachdoor rail 28 has a bracket 34 connected to the door rail 28 to providethe pivot points, generally shown at 36, for the pivotal portion 24 ofthe soft panel top assembly 12.

The pivotal portion 24 of the soft panel top assembly 12 has two siderails or bows 38 each connected at a first end to a respective end of aheader or first bow member 40. The first bow 40 is adapted forreleasable attachment to the windshield frame 18 for opening and closingthe soft panel top assembly 12 of the foldable roof assembly 10. Thefirst bow 40 has at least two latches connected thereto that have a handactuated clamping arrangement to selectively connect to the windshieldframe 18. The first bow 40 is preferably molded plastic with steelreinforcement on the bottom and comprises two latches, which when in theclosed position are generally located under the visors of the vehicle,and when cycling to the open position, travel with the first bow 30. Thelatches provide for securing closure of the top to the windshield frame18 and are readily released by an operator for opening of the soft paneltop assembly 12.

The side rails 38 are connected toward the second end of the side rails38 to the door rail pivot points 36 with the use of the brackets 34. Abushing and screw arrangement 42 provide for a pivotal connectionbetween the brackets 34 fixed in place to the door rails 28 and the siderails 38 that freely pivot to allow the top to be cycled open or closed.The side rails 38 have a curved portion, generally shown at 44, toachieve the predetermined range of height needed for the first bowmember 40 to lay above and near without touching the hard top portion 14when in the open position. The curved portions 44 in combination withangled portions, generally shown at 46, at a predetermined angleprovides a preferred predetermined clearance “h” to the hard top portion14 to prevent scratches or damage. Preferably, a latch hook isadditionally provided that functions as a stop that the side rails 38hit to hold the first bow member off the surface of the hard top portion14 to prevent scratches or damage.

The soft panel top assembly 12 has a soft skin or top cover 48 of fabricsewn into two extrusions 50 that are connected to the side rails 38. Thecover 48 can wrap around the front of the first bow member 40 and isconnected to the bow 30. The first bow member 40 provides additionalmounting points for the cover 48 such as snaps for securing the cover 48on the first bow member 40. The length of the side rails 38 incombination with the location of the pivot points 36 allows for movingthe pivotal portion 24 to the open position without folding the fabricin a folded accordion like manner. The cover 48 is additionallyconnected to a rear header member, generally shown at 52. The rearheader 52 has mounting provisions for snaps to mount the cover 48 to therear header 52.

The rear header 52 is a wireframe that is a rear wireframe closeout thatengages the seals 54, e.g., bulb seals, of the hard top portion 14 toprovide a weatherproof seal. The rear header 52 has attachment brackets56 for coupling to the vehicle and/or hard top cover portion 14. Therear header 52 is a bent wire frame welded together to generally matchthe shape of the hard top portion 14 and to seal against the seals 54 ofthe hard top portion 14.

The rear header 52 is secured in place with a plurality of fasteners 58.At least two fasteners 58, preferably, mushroom knobs, secure the rearheader 52 and the hard top portion 14 to the cross member 22 of thevehicle 16. At least two additional fasteners 58, preferably, mushroomknobs, clamp the outer edges of the rear header 52 in place. FIG. 4depicts a knob 58 clamped against the bottom surface of the cross member22 and having a pin portion extending through the cross member 22 andthrough an aperture in the attachment bracket 56 of the rear header 52.As both knobs 58 are tightened and screwed into the cross member 22 ofthe vehicle 16, the knobs 54 help press the rear header 52 against thehard top cover seals 54 of the hard top portion 14.

The left half of the soft panel top cover assembly 12 and correspondingfeatures are substantially mirror image/symmetrical to the right half ofthe soft panel top cover assembly 12 and corresponding features depictedin the figures.

A two door vehicle is depicted in FIG. 1. It is understood that thepresent invention is additionally suitable for a four door vehicle.

By utilizing the pivot points attached to the door rails this allows theoperator to quickly cycle the top from the closed position to the opensunroof position without removing the top. The operator would then beable to cycle the top from the open position to the closed position andlatch the top just as easily. The operator does not need to leave thevehicle in order to operate the top. The whole top is made lightweightby using the wireframe rear header and by using minimal frame and mostlysoft goods. This helps with ease of installation and ease of cycleefforts. The soft panel top assembly enables the occupant to fold thetop back to gain an open air experience without removing the top and canmount to the hardtop without modification to the vehicle. The soft paneltop assembly has significant benefits over typical removable hard topcockpit panels and does not require modification to the vehicle or hardtop roof portion in any way.

The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and,thus, variations that do not depart from the essence of the inventionare intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variationsare not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A soft panel top assembly for a vehicle having ahard top roof and an opening in the roof extending back from behind avehicle windshield, the soft panel top assembly comprising: a rearheader member adapted for being coupled at the opening opposite thevehicle windshield to form a sealing engagement with a hard top roofportion of the vehicle to provide a weatherproof seal between the rearheader member and the hard top roof portion when installed; a coverhaving a front edge and a rear edge, the rear edge connected to the rearheader member; a first bow member adapted to selectively connect to thevehicle adjacent the vehicle windshield, the first bow member connectedto the cover at the front edge; two side rails extending from the firstbow member and adapted to be pivotally supported at the roof opening onopposite sides of the opening; two door rails, each respectively adaptedfor attachment at the roof opening of the vehicle on opposite sides ofthe opening; each door rail adapted to be connected to the rear headermember and extending from the rear header member; wherein pivoting thetwo side rails allows the cover to move between a deployed position forcovering the roof opening of the vehicle and an open position foruncovering the roof opening of the vehicle; the rear header memberfurther comprising at least two attachment brackets, each attachmentbracket respectively using at least one knob-type fastener forconnecting the attachment bracket to the vehicle, and as the knob-typefasteners are tightened against the vehicle the rear header member ispressed against and seals with the hard top roof portion.
 22. The softpanel top assembly of claim 21, wherein the two side rails are pivotallysupported between brackets fixed relative to the door rails.
 23. Thesoft panel top assembly of claim 21, wherein the two door rails eachfurther comprise a plurality of clamping surfaces adapted for extendingtoward the vehicle interior for connecting each door rail at the roofopening of the vehicle using at least one fastener.
 24. The soft paneltop assembly of claim 21, wherein the two door rails each furthercomprise a sealing surface for front doors of the vehicle.
 25. The softpanel top assembly of claim 21, wherein the front edge of the coverwraps around a front edge of the first bow member, is operably securedto the first bow member and covers at least an outward portion of thefirst bow member.
 26. The soft panel top assembly of claim 21, whereinthe rear edge of the cover is operably secured to the rear header memberand covers at least an outward portion of the rear header member.
 27. Avehicle roof system for inserting into an open space in the roof createdby removing front panels of the roof and defined by a windshield frame,side members extending back therefrom over oppositely-disposed driverside and passenger side vehicle doors, and a cross member connecting theside members opposite the open space from the windshield frame andbehind the doors, the system including: a rear header member adapted toinstall over the remaining portion of the roof and extending across theopen space, the rear header member including a surface adapted to abutthe roof adjacent the cross member and to provide a weatherproof seal;wherein the rear header member further includes a bracket for connectingto the cross member using a fastener, wherein the fastener is adapted tobe tightened against a bottom surface of the cross member causing therear header member and the seal to press against the roof; two doorrails each adapted for attachment to respective side members of thevehicle adjacent the rear header, with each door rail presenting ansealing surface for sealing with a vehicle door; a cover of flexiblematerial attached to the rear header at one end; a fabric management bowattached to the cover at the cover's other end opposite the rear header,the fabric management bow including at least one latch being adapted toselectively connect the bow to the windshield frame; the fabricmanagement bow further including pivoting attachments for attaching thebow pivotally on either side of the open space whereby, when the systemis installed on a vehicle, the fabric management bow can pivot about theattachments from a closed position in which the bow can be attached tothe windshield frame and the cover is extended to cover the open space,to an open position in which the bow pivots back about the pivotingattachments to an open position, where the bow is disposed over the rearheader and the cover is folded.
 28. The vehicle roof system of claim 27,wherein the pivoting attachments are fixed relative to the door railsonce installed in the roof opening of the vehicle.
 29. The vehicle roofsystem of claim 27, wherein the two door rails each further comprise aplurality of clamping surfaces adapted for extending toward the vehicleinterior for connecting each door rail at the roof opening of thevehicle using at least one fastener.
 30. The vehicle roof system ofclaim 27, wherein the two door rails each further comprise a sealingsurface for front doors of the vehicle.
 31. The vehicle roof system ofclaim 27, wherein a front edge of the cover wraps around a front edge ofthe fabric management bow and covers at least an outward portion of thefabric management bow.
 32. The soft panel top assembly of claim 27,wherein a rear edge of the cover is operably secured to the rear headermember and covers at least an outward portion of the rear header member.33. A soft top insert for a vehicle roof for inserting into an openspace in the roof defined by a windshield frame, side members extendingback therefrom over oppositely-disposed driver side and passenger sidevehicle doors, and a cross member connecting the side members oppositethe open space from the windshield frame and behind the doors, the softtop insert including: a rear header member; the rear header memberadapted to connect to the vehicle, the rear header member includes asurface adapted to abut a hard-top roof portion adjacent the crossmember to provide a weatherproof seal; two door rails each extendingfrom the rear header member adapted for attachment to respective sidemembers of the vehicle, with each door rail presenting an abutmentsurface for abutment with a vehicle door; a cover including fabricmaterial, the cover having a front edge and a rear edge, the rear edgeconnected to the rear header member; a first bow member connected to thefront edge of the cover and being adapted to selectively connect to thewindshield frame; two side rails each extending at a first end from thefirst bow member and adapted for pivotal connection at a second endopposite the first end to the vehicle between the windshield frame at afront end and the cross member at the rear end, wherein pivoting the twoside rails allows the cover to move between a deployed position coveringthe open space and an open position uncovering the open space; andwherein the rear header member further comprises at least two attachmentbrackets for connecting to the cross member of the vehicle using atleast two fasteners, wherein the at least two fasteners are adapted tobe tightened against a bottom surface of the cross member causing therear header member to press against the roof.
 34. The soft top insert ofclaim 33, wherein the side rails at the second end are fixed forrotation relative to the door rails once installed in the open space inthe roof of the vehicle.
 35. The soft top insert of claim 33, whereinthe two door rails each further comprise a plurality of clampingsurfaces adapted for extending toward the vehicle interior forconnecting each door rail at the open space in the roof of the vehicleusing at least one fastener.
 36. The soft top insert of claim 33,wherein the two door rails each further comprise a sealing surface forfront doors of the vehicle.
 37. The soft top insert of claim 33, whereinthe front edge of the cover wraps around a front edge of the first bowmember, is operably secured to the first bow member and covers at leastan outward portion of the first bow member.
 38. The soft top insert ofclaim 33, wherein the rear edge of the cover is operably secured to therear header member and covers at least an outward portion of the rearheader member.
 39. A vehicle roof system for inserting into an openspace in a vehicle roof defined by a windshield frame, side membersextending back therefrom over oppositely-disposed driver side andpassenger side vehicle doors, and a cross member connecting the sidemembers opposite the open space from the windshield frame and behind thedoors, the system including: a rear header member adapted to installover the vehicle roof and extending across the open space, the rearheader member including a surface adapted to abut the roof adjacent thecross member to provide a weatherproof seal; wherein the rear headermember further includes at least two attachment brackets for connectingto the cross member of the vehicle using at least two fasteners, whereinthe at least two fasteners are adapted to be tightened against a bottomsurface of the cross member causing the rear header member to pressagainst the roof; a soft and flexible cover attached to the rear headerat one end; a front header attached to the cover at the cover's otherend opposite the rear header, the front header including at least onelatch being adapted to selectively connect the front header to thewindshield frame; two door rails each adapted to connect to the rearheader, with each door rail also being adapted for attachment torespective side members of the vehicle, with each door rail presentingan abutment surface for abutment with a vehicle door; the front headerincluding two side rails each extending from opposite ends of the frontheader, with each side rail terminating in a distal end; two brackets,each pivotally connected to a distal end of a side rail, the bracketseach being adapted to be fixed relative to a door rail on opposite sidesof the open space; whereby, when the system is installed on a vehicle,the front header can move from a closed position in which the frontheader is attached to the windshield frame and the cover is extended tocover the open space, to an open position in which the front headerpivots back about the pivoting ends of the side rails to an openposition, where the front header is disposed over the rear header andthe cover is folded.
 40. The soft top insert of claim 39, wherein thetwo door rails each further comprise a plurality of clamping surfacesadapted for extending toward the vehicle interior for connecting eachdoor rail at the open space in the vehicle roof using at least onefastener.
 41. The soft top insert of claim 39, wherein the two doorrails each further comprise a sealing surface for front doors of thevehicle.
 42. The soft top insert of claim 39, wherein the end of thecover attached to the front header wraps around a front edge of thefront header, and covers at least an outward portion of the fabricmanagement bow.
 43. The soft top insert of claim 39, wherein the edge ofthe cover attached to the rear header covers at least an outward portionof the rear header member.